


You Have to Believe Me

by uaigneach



Series: 2017 In-Class Works [12]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst without a happy ending, Drabble, Gen, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason-Centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 09:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12745590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uaigneach/pseuds/uaigneach
Summary: “I swear I didn’t do it!”





	You Have to Believe Me

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, but my school uses edsby and earlier last night, there was a school wide debate on rape culture and feminism. Some dumbass grade 9 started shit and literally everyone decided to attack him so in a rage fueled writing phase, this was spawned.

“I swear I didn’t do it! Bruce, you gotta believe me!” he pleaded, trailing after the dark figure in front of him. As per usual, Bruce didn’t say anything, but for some reason, this time felt much more sinister. Bruce’s default to parenting a difficult child – because of fucking course Dick was just a little angle, wasn’t he? – was the silent treatment. Not a good way to go about things.

The problem was, lately, Jason had been causing his adoptive father a lot of problems. None of them were on purpose of course, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t happen or even that he wasn’t the one to blame. Jason’s grades in everything but English (that one remained the same dismal level) were slipping and not because of lack of effort either. The classes were just too hard and he couldn’t seem t understand anything. It wasn’t like there was anyone around to help him either. Alfred had his duties and Bruce was _always_ busy with something or another. And it wasn’t like Jason had any friends to rely on. Everyone hated him and his “kind” (and whether that was about his Hispanic ethnicity or Crime Alley origins was still undetermined).  Apparently anyone not born into white aristocracy was dirt beneath their shoes.

And it especially doesn’t help that despite being a Wayne in name, he was a street rat in spirit. He had missed years of school while living on the streets, and had immediately been thrown headfirst into Gotham Academy for the elite. When he’d shown up on his first day with his tie undone, his uniform wrinkled, and talking like a newsie from 1899 the teachers had all immediately hated him. He’d tried so hard to fix whatever was wrong with him – to make Bruce proud – but it inevitably blew up in his face. His resentment began to fester.

He studied as hard as he could, answered and asked questions in every class, but it still wasn’t enough. He was still barely passing all of his classes. He wasn’t dumb! He understood all of the material they were taught – he even helped others! But somehow he was getting 60%’s in all but English. In English (his most beloved subject), he was barely scraping by with a 51%. All because, whenever he got excited – which happened a lot in English because the books were just so _interesting_ – he slipped back into a heavy lower Gotham accent. From what he’d seen in movies, it was very similar (cough*identical*cough) to a thick accent from the fictional city of New York.

In other words, it was thick and annoying and had some of the worst grammar imaginable. Using ‘words’ like; ain’t, we’s, they’s, etc.  and the excessive use of ‘no’ was a big pet peeve for English teachers. Also not fully pronouncing his ‘g’s’ or ‘h’s’ seemed to be something that was not allowed. Every time he slipped up, he’d get death glares from both teachers and students.

If he spoke slowly and deliberately, his accent was barely there and only gained a few raised noses. He tried really hard, but sometimes he made it a point to speak the extra thick language of lower Gotham, just to piss off the old white people.

It made his detentions for being impertinent worth it.

…but apparently not to Alfred or Bruce. Alfred was the proper English butler, so Jason couldn’t really blame him for favouring proper speech, even if more than half of their conversations consisted of grammar corrections. And no matter how much Bruce liked to say he’d ‘experienced the world’ he still did the dumb rich kid things. He just didn’t understand Jason’s struggle.

Unfortunately, his shortcomings weren’t the only thing that disappointed Bruce. No, it was his morals and opinions too. Jason naturally held more respect for women because before Bruce (maybe not anymore thought) he’d never even met a semi-decent male. Women were badass goddesses and deserved respect. And similar to how he hated men, he also had a special place in his heart for rapists. They were the scum of the earth and they deserved to die.

Of course, that was what currently causing Jason’s panic.

They had been chasing down a gang of the pieces of shit when one took to the rooftops and they were forced to split up, with Jason chasing after the one guy while Bruce handled the rest. That was probably his first mistake.

He’d chased the rapist over multiple buildings before finally cornering him at the edge of a 5-story apartment building. Feeling trapped, he’d taken a step backwards and fallen off the roof, landing on his head and dying instantly. Shocked, Jason had stood there staring until Bruce had come looking for him. Immediately upon arriving at the scene, he assumed that Jason had pushed the rapist. When Jason denied it, Bruce cited his hatred for criminals like that particular gangster.

He didn’t believe him.

That hurt.

“Bruce, I didn’t push him.” He pleaded, praying that his guardian would finally see sense and understand that Jason wasn’t a killer! Just because he wasn’t distraught that the man was dead didn’t mean that he’d been the one to kill him. He hadn’t chased after him with the intent to kill.

Bruce paused in front of the computer for a moment before sitting down. “take a break, Jason. I can handle Gotham alone for the next week.” Jason knew he was dismissed but he couldn’t believe it. Bruce hadn’t fired him, but he’d still suspended him. He was being punished for some thing that wasn’t his fault. Bruce actually though he did it, that he was capable of murder. He fled up the stairs.

“I didn’t do it.” He whispered as he ran.

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact, I'm actually writing a Newsies - Batman fusion and not in the way one would expect. Get ready for a highschool au with JayTim and a school musical all boys version of Newsies.


End file.
